Five months ago, Colorado ended the Kings’ season and Anze Kopitar’s career on the same night. On Wednesday, the Kings go back to Ball Arena with a new captain, a new coach and a new-look lineup. Kings vs Avalanche opens the 2026-27 season nationally on TNT, and Monday’s first regular-season practice in El Segundo gave the clearest look yet at how Peter Laviolette plans to start it. Drew Doughty wears the “C” for the first time in a game that counts. Artemi Panarin, Quinton Byfield and Adrian Kempe are together on the top line. And a new puck-moving pairing on the blue line could be the most interesting wrinkle of all.
Here is what we know as the Kings hold their final practice this morning, Tuesday, September 29, before flying to Denver.
Kings vs Avalanche: The Rematch of Last Spring’s Sweep
The last time these teams met, Colorado finished a first-round sweep with a 5-1 win on April 26. Nathan MacKinnon scored twice, Cale Makar and Devon Toews also scored, and Scott Wedgewood started all four games of the series. It was Kopitar’s final NHL game after 20 seasons, all in Los Angeles.
That makes Wednesday more than a normal opener. Puck drop is 8:00 p.m. MT (7:00 p.m. PT) on TNT, truTV and HBO Max, with Brendan Burke on play-by-play alongside Darren Pang and Jackie Redmond. TNT’s own billing puts MacKinnon and captain Gabriel Landeskog against a Kings team “led by Artemi Panarin and Adrian Kempe.” After Denver, the Kings visit San Jose on Saturday, October 3, before the home opener against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, October 6, at Crypto.com Arena.
Doughty’s First Opening Night as Captain
Doughty was named the 15th captain in franchise history earlier this month, succeeding Kopitar. Kempe, Panarin and Mikey Anderson are the alternates. The two-time Stanley Cup champion is set for his 19th NHL season and enters it 17 games from tying Dustin Brown (1,296) for the second-most games played in franchise history.
“I want to lead this team by example, showing what it means to be a King and what it takes to win championships,” Doughty said when he was named. On Monday, he was already talking about the tone the new staff has set. LA Kings Insider described it as one of the liveliest Kings practices it had seen, and Doughty explained why.
“Most of that’s coming from the coaches, they’re creating a lot of white versus gray games that we’re playing every single day in practice, which brings up the energy,” Doughty said. “Both teams want to win and then there’s a consequence for the losing team at the end, whether it’s an extra bag skate or whatever it is… It’s a lot more fun than just going through the motions and drills, right? So I love the way they’re setting it.”
For background on why his role was one of the defining camp questions, revisit the three decisions that would define Kings camp.
The Lines From Monday’s Practice
Here is how the Kings lined up on Monday:
- Forwards: Panarin–Byfield–Kempe; Zuccarello–Turcotte–Laferriere; Moore–Haula–Laughton; Lee–Helenius–Armia
- Defense: Dumoulin–Doughty; Gustafsson–Clarke; Anderson–Ceci; Edmundson–Kirsanov
- Goalies: Darcy Kuemper, Anton Forsberg
Byfield gets the chance to center the top line between Panarin and Kempe, last season’s team MVP after 36 goals and 73 points. Alex Turcotte, who scored twice in the 6-2 preseason finale against Anaheim, is getting the second-line center look between Mats Zuccarello and Alex Laferriere. Laviolette has said using Turcotte there lets him “layer something into a third line that can be used in a different way,” and the Moore–Haula–Laughton trio fits that two-way profile.
Kirill Kirsanov skated as the eighth defenseman Monday but was loaned to the Ontario Reign when the Opening Night roster became official. Kevin Fiala remains on injured reserve.
Gustafsson and Clarke: A Pairing Built to Attack
The most eye-catching combination was Erik Gustafsson with Brandt Clarke, two puck movers together. Gustafsson signed a one-year contract this summer and knows Laviolette’s system from their time together in Washington and New York.
“I like how he plays, systems wise, with the D joining the rush and being a part of the 5-on-5 plays too,” Gustafsson said. “He likes everyone to be up in the play, move the puck and play a fast game.”
Laviolette returned the praise. “Gus moves the puck really well. He skates really well,” the coach said. “This is a guy that can take the ice, find the ice and make the plays.” Panarin, a former teammate in Chicago and New York, was even more direct: “People don’t understand how good he is. His hockey IQ is pretty high.”
Clarke is coming off career highs of eight goals and 40 points and signed a five-year extension in June. “He’s a great player, a young player with a lot of skill,” Gustafsson said, while adding, “Today was just today and we’ll see what happens.” The pairing may not be permanent, especially if Joel Edmundson is healthy.
Edmundson, Perry and the Goalie Question
Edmundson missed Saturday’s finale but returned to practice Monday without a red non-contact jersey and took part in most drills. “It’s still day-to-day,” Laviolette said. “It was great to have him out there and pretty much a full participant… We’ll just see how he’s trending.”
Corey Perry, who is on the Opening Night roster, was not on the ice. He has been away from the team for personal reasons since early last week, and his availability for Colorado is unclear.
In goal, the Kings have not announced a starter. Kuemper and Forsberg both won their second preseason starts against Anaheim, and LA Kings Insider’s read is that neither separated himself in camp. The Kings play only six games in the first three weeks without a single back-to-back, so the split may take time to settle. Forsberg started all four playoff games against Colorado last spring. Kuemper, a Vezina finalist in 2024-25, was the goalie in net for the preseason finale.
Special Teams Could Decide It
Special teams were a weakness last season and a major camp focus under Laviolette and associate coach Phil Housley. The Kings’ power play converted at 20 percent in the preseason and the penalty kill at 87.5 percent. For more on that project, see our look at Housley’s special teams puzzle. For the roster moves that set this group, revisit our Sep 28 roster story.
Watch: Doughty, Forsberg, Gustafsson and Laviolette After Practice
Hear from the captain, a goalie in the crease battle, the new defenseman and the head coach in the Kings’ official media video from Monday:
The Bottom Line
The Kings have a new captain, a lineup that looks set and a chance to answer the team that ended their season. Watch the video above, and follow InfanityTV for Opening Night coverage of Kings vs Avalanche.
